WAND Education Fund Board

Sen. Charleta Tavares, OH

WAND Education Fund Chair

The first African-American woman to hold a leadership position in the Ohio General Assembly (Minority Whip; representing 22nd House District for five and a half years), Tavares has been a member of the Columbus City Council since 1999. She has served as Chief of the Children’s Protection Section in the Ohio AG’s office, Associate Director of the Public Children Services Association of Ohio, and is now the Chair of the City Council’s Health, Housing and Human Services Committee.

Edith Allen, MA

Edie Allen is an artist and activist with years of experience organizing and recruiting for WAND. She is president of the Colombe Foundation, which supports peace organizations, and also president of an artisans' cooperative in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

Representative Merika Coleman, AL

Merika was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2002. Representative Coleman received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication and her Master of Public Administration Degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Representative Coleman was a 2004 Fleming Fellow with the Center for Policy Alternatives, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to strengthen the capacity of "Citizen Legislators."

Rep. Jessia Farrar, TX

In her fifth term as state representative from northeast Houston, Rep. Farrar works on issues such as domestic violence, access to higher education, assistance for community-development corporations, and economic development. In 1998, she began a mentoring program for promising young women, called Latinas on the Rise.

Jean Gordon, AR

Ms. Gordon has been an active member in the peace, social justice, and civil rights movements for many years. She chaired Arkansas Peace Links Board and Peace Center Boards where she edited a bi-monthly newsletter showing the effects of the military budget on state residents. She founded and chairs Arkansas WAND, and recently received an Arkansas Peace & Justice Heroes award from the OMNI Center in Fayetteville.

Betsy Rivard, GA

Betsy has been active in Atlanta WAND for about 16 years, serving on the board for at least eight years. Her chemistry background and Oak Ridge, TN past (her father worked for the Atomic Energy Commission) made her concerned about the nuclear issue (weapons and power). Betsy also serves on the boards of the UN Association of the USA, Nuke Watch South, Georgians for Gun Safety, and the Chattooga Conservatory.

Sayre Sheldon, MA

WAND Education Treasurer

A founding member of WAND and President Emerita of the National WAND Board, Sayre has been a long time political and social activist. She is a college professor of literature and an author of several plays and articles about women's issues and peace issues. She edited the anthology Her War Story: 20th Century Women Write About War, published in 1999 by Southern Illinois University Press. She represents WAND as an NGO at the United Nations.

Sen. Jean Breaux, IN

Jean Breaux was appointed to the State Senate in December of 2006 to fulfill the unexpired term of her mother, Billie Breaux. Breaux's work focuses on creating and retaining good jobs in Indiana. She is also an outspoken advocate on education, health care and labor issues. Prior to joining the Indiana General Assembly, Breaux worked for the Community Development Corporation and the Indiana Department of Commerce. Senator Breaux attends Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church and resides, with her family, in Indianapolis.

Marilyn Canavan, ME

Marilyn Canavan served four terms in the Maine House of Representatives (2000-2008). During that time, she distinguished herself as an enduring supporter of women’s issues. She sponsored key domestic violence legislation and in her second term, initiated a celebration of women’s history month in the Maine State House. She proudly served as state director of the Women Legislators Lobby. Now retired, Canavan serves on several boards, including Maine People’s Resource Center, Kennebec Valley Behavioral Health and Kennebec Valley Community College.

Hon. Pan Godchaux, MI

Pan Godchaux has just returned from the former Soviet Republic of Moldova where she served two years in the Peace Corps. Previously, Pan was a political consult with The Godchaux Safford Group. She served her term limited six years in the Michigan House of Representatives on appropriations. Pan is founder of the Institute for Local Government at the University of Michigan Dearborn. She has served on the Oakland Schools board, has served on Birmingham Public School board, as a teacher in Detroit Public Schools and as a print and broadcast journalist. Pan lives in Mackinaw City, Michigan and volunteers with the Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association.

Vanessa Lawrow, MN

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Vanessa received her undergraduate degree in Justice and Peace Studies at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul, Minnesota in 2001. Since January of 2005, she has been the office manager at Women Against Military Madness (WAMM), a nonprofit organization that strives to "dismantle systems of militarism, economic exploitation and global oppression." Vanessa feels honored to be employed as an activist and peacemaker and credits her amazing family and friends with allowing and encouraging her to undertake her, at times, unconventional life journey.

Rep. Kathy Webb, AR

Kathy Webb represents District 37 in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Webb serves on House Revenue and Tax; Rules; City, County, and Local Affairs, and Joint Budget Committees. Webb is the first woman to serve as Vice Chair of Joint Budget Committee. Among her many awards are the Rising Champion Award from Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, the Elected Public Official of the Year from the Sierra Club, and the Distinguished Legislator Award from the Arkansas Municipal League. Webb is the co-owner, with her partner Nancy Tesmer, of Lilly’s Dim Sum, Then Some.